As many of you already know, preliminary MCAS results were made available to authorized users in DropBox Central (in the security portal) on Tuesday. This release includes full preliminary ELA results and preliminary multiple-choice results for grades 3–8 and 10 Math and grades 5 and 8 Science.
There is an interpretive guide to accompany this release (currently available in DropBox Central, to be posted to the 2013 MCAS Web page shortly) which provides information about various ways that the preliminary data (along with the 2013 released items) can be reviewed and utilized. The raw-to-scaled score conversion tables for ELA have also been posted.
In addition, the latest Student Assessment Update notes that preliminary MCAS-Alt results have been made available through DropBox Central, and ELA long compositions are posted online at www.mcasservicecenter.com.
On Friday, June 21, the same preliminary results will be made available through selected reports in Edwin Analytics.
Per the Interpretive Guide: "All data released prior to the official release of school and district results in mid-September are embargoed, which means the data cannot be released to the public or discussed in public meetings.... Preliminary MCAS data, including the Mathematics and STE multiple-choice results, can and should be used for educational planning purposes. Whenever preliminary results are printed for planning purposes, they should be clearly dated and labeled “preliminary,” with the understanding that some results may change with the official release in September."
As a reminder, I will be offering three regional Edwin Analytics workshops in August after the remainder of the preliminary data has been released, but in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions.
Showing posts with label released test items. Show all posts
Showing posts with label released test items. Show all posts
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Release of Spring 2013 MCAS Items
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has posted the released items for the Spring 2013 tests by grade and content area at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2013/release/default.html.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Release of Spring 2011 MCAS Test Items
Selected items (and answers) from the Spring 2011 MCAS tests are now available in PDF format from the ESE Web site.
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2011/release/
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2011/release/
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Data Update from the Curriculum Summit
This week, I had the opportunity to attend the state's Third Annual Summit on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Marlborough, so I thought I'd share what I heard and learned here on the blog.
Commissioner Mitchell Chester kicked off the Summit with an overview of successes and challenges in Massachusetts' public schools. He spoke with excitement about the opportunities that lie ahead for us in terms of funding (RTTT and other sources), next-generation assessments (the multi-state PARCC group), and new ways of looking at student performance (the growth model).
I attended a morning session focused on the Massachusetts System of Tiered Instruction - "a data driven prevention, early detection, and support system with the aim of providing high-quality core educational experiences for all students and targeted interventions to struggling students who experience learning and/or behavioral challenges." We heard from two school districts (Pittsfield and Winchendon) who have implemented this model for math and literacy, respectively. Even in these "best-practice" examples, the ongoing challenges related to data were evident - WHAT data to examine, HOW to utilize it (and by WHOM), and WHERE to keep it. But the more we can share and collaborate on these challenges, the closer we can come to addressing them.
Our lunch speaker was Julia Phelps, Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She spoke about the new Common Core State Standards and engaged the audience in thinking about the process for transitioning to these new standards over the next few years. In terms of changes to MCAS, her main points were that the spring 2011 MCAS will be based on the existing Frameworks, and the spring 2012 MCAS will be based primarily on the intersection between the existing Frameworks and the new Common Core. It is clear that MUCH more information will be coming out to support districts during this transition, so stay tuned.
The final session I attended was Creating Formative Assessments for Mathematics using Released MCAS Items which reminded us of the wealth of test questions available through ESE, and provided some ideas for using these as a "dipstick" for measuring student understanding.
Please note that the PowerPoint presentations and other materials from the Summit will be posted on the ESE's Summit Web page in the upcoming weeks.
Commissioner Mitchell Chester kicked off the Summit with an overview of successes and challenges in Massachusetts' public schools. He spoke with excitement about the opportunities that lie ahead for us in terms of funding (RTTT and other sources), next-generation assessments (the multi-state PARCC group), and new ways of looking at student performance (the growth model).
I attended a morning session focused on the Massachusetts System of Tiered Instruction - "a data driven prevention, early detection, and support system with the aim of providing high-quality core educational experiences for all students and targeted interventions to struggling students who experience learning and/or behavioral challenges." We heard from two school districts (Pittsfield and Winchendon) who have implemented this model for math and literacy, respectively. Even in these "best-practice" examples, the ongoing challenges related to data were evident - WHAT data to examine, HOW to utilize it (and by WHOM), and WHERE to keep it. But the more we can share and collaborate on these challenges, the closer we can come to addressing them.
Our lunch speaker was Julia Phelps, Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She spoke about the new Common Core State Standards and engaged the audience in thinking about the process for transitioning to these new standards over the next few years. In terms of changes to MCAS, her main points were that the spring 2011 MCAS will be based on the existing Frameworks, and the spring 2012 MCAS will be based primarily on the intersection between the existing Frameworks and the new Common Core. It is clear that MUCH more information will be coming out to support districts during this transition, so stay tuned.
The final session I attended was Creating Formative Assessments for Mathematics using Released MCAS Items which reminded us of the wealth of test questions available through ESE, and provided some ideas for using these as a "dipstick" for measuring student understanding.
Please note that the PowerPoint presentations and other materials from the Summit will be posted on the ESE's Summit Web page in the upcoming weeks.
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